[Treatment of acute viral hepatitis with cortisone]

The indications for cortisone administration as well as of its derivatives in the treatment of viral hepatitis (VH) have been discussed on the base of personal experience and literature data. It has been concluded that cortisone has lost its role in the treatment of VH because of its numerous negative effects, recurrences, steroid diabetes, ulcers, hemorrhages, liability to infections, and most important--the liability to chronification and long-term carriership in VHB. Manifested intoxication phenomena and impeding and present endogenic hepatic coma, remain for the present, the main indications for cortisone treatment in VH. In VHA and VH non A--non B it is not necessary and in VHB it could even by admitted to be contraindicated due to the risk of chronification and long-term carriership. It has been emphasized that post-transfusion hepatitis are with the severest course, responsible for the lethality, hence the main treatment in them remains the prophylaxis with passive and active immunization.